An autopilot system includes an actuator arrangement that receives control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes. A control stick input arrangement allows flight mode selection and control with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the hand away from the engaged position. A slaved gyro output signal is based on no more than the set of sensor outputs used by the autopilot such that an autopilot display presents autopilot flight mode information while displaying a slaved gyro output. The autopilot provides for pilot selection of one of a subset of the plurality of flight modes which is customized based on a current flight status of the helicopter. An automatic autorotation mode is provided.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising: a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor inputs for the autopilot system to characterize the flight of the helicopter for generating autopilot actuator control signals; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate the autopilot actuator control signals based on no more than the set of sensor inputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor inputs; an actuator arrangement to manipulate a cyclic control of the helicopter based on the actuator control signals to fly the helicopter; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyroscopic heading to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal; wherein the sensor arrangement includes a yaw rate gyro that produces a yaw rate output and said processing arrangement is configured to integrate the yaw rate output to produce a yaw heading; wherein the yaw rate gyro exhibits a yaw rate drift and the processing arrangement is configured to periodically update the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift; wherein said sensor arrangement includes a GPS that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading.
2. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising: a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor inputs for the autopilot system to characterize the flight of the helicopter for generating autopilot actuator control signals; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate the autopilot actuator control signals based on no more than the set of sensor inputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor inputs; an actuator arrangement to manipulate a cyclic control of the helicopter based on the actuator control signals to fly the helicopter; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyroscopic heading to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal; wherein the sensor arrangement includes a yaw rate gyro that produces a yaw rate output and said processing arrangement is configured to integrate the yaw rate output to produce a yaw heading; wherein the yaw rate gyro exhibits a yaw rate drift and the processing arrangement is configured to periodically update the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift; wherein said sensor arrangement includes a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading.
3. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising: a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor inputs for the autopilot system to characterize the flight of the helicopter for generating autopilot actuator control signals; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate the autopilot actuator control signals based on no more than the set of sensor inputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor inputs; an actuator arrangement to manipulate a cyclic control of the helicopter based on the actuator control signals to fly the helicopter; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyroscopic heading to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal; wherein the sensor arrangement includes a triaxial rate gyro and a triaxial accelerometer for producing said set of sensor inputs and said processing arrangement is configured to generate a helicopter attitude including a yaw heading; wherein the yaw heading is subject to a yaw rate drift that is exhibited by the triaxial rate gyro and the processing arrangement is configured to at least periodically adjust the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift and produce said slaved gyroscopic heading; including a GPS receiver that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading.
4. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising: a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor inputs for the autopilot system to characterize the flight of the helicopter for generating autopilot actuator control signals; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate the autopilot actuator control signals based on no more than the set of sensor inputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor inputs; an actuator arrangement to manipulate a cyclic control of the helicopter based on the actuator control signals to fly the helicopter; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyroscopic heading to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal; wherein the sensor arrangement includes a yaw rate gyro that produces a yaw rate output and said processing arrangement is configured to integrate the yaw rate output to produce a yaw heading; wherein the yaw rate gyro exhibits a yaw rate drift and the processing arrangement is configured to periodically update the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift; including a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading.
5. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising: a plurality of sensors for generating a plurality of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter; a processing arrangement that is configured to determine a current flight status of the helicopter based on the plurality of sensor outputs for operating the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of autopilot flight modes and to generate a customized menu that includes a subset of one or more but less than all of the plurality of autopilot flight modes which subset is customized for pilot selection based on the current flight status of the helicopter; and a display for presenting the customized menu to the pilot for selection of one autopilot flight mode of the subset of autopilot flight modes.
6. The autopilot system of claim 5 wherein the helicopter flight is characterized by a power curve and said subset of the autopilot flight modes that is presented to the pilot is based on the current flight status of the helicopter with respect to said power curve.
7. The autopilot of claim 6 wherein said plurality of autopilot flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode.
8. The autopilot of claim 7 wherein said power curve includes a front side and, for a current flight status of the helicopter on the front side of the power curve, the subset of autopilot modes includes no more than the speed hold mode, the altitude hold mode and the GPS mode.
9. The autopilot of claim 7 wherein said power curve includes a back side and for a current status of the helicopter on the back side of the power curve the subset of autopilot modes includes only the speed hold mode.
10. The autopilot of claim 6 wherein said plurality of flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode and wherein the subset of autopilot modes is customized to include no more than the hover mode and the position hold mode when said current flight status of the helicopter is indicative of a low speed flight status.
11. For use with a helicopter including a rotor system having a cyclic control to control the flight of the helicopter and which helicopter at least generates a Low RPM signal that is indicative of a threshold low rotational speed of the rotor, an autopilot comprising: a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter for generating autopilot actuator control signals; an actuator arrangement that is configured for moving the cyclic control responsive to the autopilot actuator control signals; and a control arrangement that is configured for receiving an activation signal that is at least in part based on the Low RPM signal and the sensor outputs, and for responding to the activation signal by automatically activating an emergency descent mode to generate said autopilot actuator control signals responsive to the sensor outputs to first pitch the helicopter in a way that initially establishes a forward speed of the helicopter that is within a predetermined range of speed irrespective of a given forward speed at a time when the activation signal occurred.
12. The autopilot of claim 11 wherein the control arrangement is configured to increase the pitch of the helicopter to reduce the forward speed when the given forward speed is above said predetermined range at the time of the activation signal.
13. The autopilot of claim 11 wherein the control arrangement is configured to control only the cyclic control of the helicopter during the emergency descent mode.
14. The autopilot of claim 11 wherein the control arrangement is configured to receive the activation signal from an emergency collective actuator.
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February 8, 2013
November 24, 2020
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